It is well known that positioning a patient in a lateral decumbent posture places a stress upon the spine and general lower back area. This stress may lead to extreme discomfort if the patient suffers from a spinal disorder, discongenic disease, old age, and so forth. It is also well known that the discomfort during resting periods can be reduced or eliminated if the legs are separated a predetermined distance, a distance typically measured between the knees. For instance, many women rely upon a pillow placed between the knees for sleeping assistance during pregnancy, the leg separation easing the discomfort on the lower back. Similarly, elderly or patients suffering from arthritis of the hips find a benefit in leg separation during sleep by placing the legs in their normal spaced apart position found during an upright stance.
In an effort to accommodate the positioning problem, numerous prior art devices have been set forth. The typical prior art device is directed to a pad placed between the knees. The pad is typically a variation of a conventional pillow which is strapped to a patient's inner leg to maintain its placement. The modified pillow has a number of disadvantages including sterilization, heat buildup at the point of skin contact, skin irritation due to moisture, and strapping means that do not permit articulation at the knee, all of which can lead to chaffing or bed sores. In addition, improper strapping prevents the patient from walking, a point of difficulty if the patient needs to use a washroom in the middle of the night.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,806 issued to Griffin discloses a knee pillow that is comprised of a pad strapped to the knee of a patient. The Griffin device provides a cushion between the knees for the purpose of preventing a patient's knees from digging into each other. The Griffin device is typical of the art in that the pad may allow walking but to the expense of skin irritation. The padding places all of the leg weight directly upon the knee bones.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,015 issued to Clement's discloses a thigh support brace to immobilize a patient's thigh while in bed. A detachable bracket allows removal for walking, however, replacement of the bracket by an elderly patient is extremely difficult. In addition, complete immobilizing of the legs during sleep need only be performed for certain types of patients and may lead to discomfort for others.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,302 issued to Padfield discloses a comfort pad that is strapped to a patient's legs. The pad acts as a cushion to relieve pressure when the patient is sleeping on their side. This pad also places all of the leg weight directly upon the knee bones.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,477 issued to Moore discloses a knee pillow that is strapped to the leg. The knee pillow has a series of notches which allows the knee to bend for the prevention of chaffing. However, the notches lead to an unpredictable spacing of the leg. If two such devices are employed, walking is inhibited for the interference locking of notches can cause the patient to stumble.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,730 issued to Rajan discloses a device for stabilizing the pelvis of a patient through the use of a preformed device. The device will not allow the patient to walk or rotate during sleep.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,510 issued to King discloses a body pillow that provides leg separation and is held in position by the patient's upper body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,715 issued to Johnson discloses a padded leg guard that wraps about the knee to help prevent inner leg skin irritation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,818 issued to Grabill discloses a leg positioning assembly to maintain the legs of the patient in a side or back position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,884 issued to Lonardo discloses a leg positioning device to help prevent skin irritation during leg separation. The Lonardo device sets forth padding that extends along the length of the patients inner leg.
Thus, what is lacking in the art is a leg separating apparatus or device that provides leg weight pressure distribution along the length of the patient's leg, allows movement of the legs during sleep without dislodgement or separation from the legs, permits articulation at the knee, allowing the patient to walk without removing the device or causing skin irritation. Finally, the apparatus should allow the use of disposable or cleanable covers without the need for cleaning the underlying device.